Ravens bracing for Browns running back Trent Richardson

The Ravens have built a thorough scouting report on Cleveland Browns running back Trent Richardson, including the obvious knowledge that he's far too strong to simply arm tackle and expect to bring him down.

Ravens starting inside linebacker Josh Bynes' experience against Richardson goes back to their college days when Bynes was at Auburn and Richardson was a consensus All-American at Alabama.

"Trent's a downhill runner, he's tough, he's agile," Bynes said. "He's always made good cuts, puts his foot in the ground and goes. He can pound it up in there without needing a fullback.

"You definitely need to get a lot of guys on him. The first guy to get there needs to wrap him up because you can't arm tackle him. You wrap him up, wait for somebody else to get there and keep piling on top of him."

Richardson rushed for just 47 yards on 13 carries during a 23-10 loss to the Miami Dolphins last week. That included just 14 yards on five carries in the second half and no rushes in the fourth quarter after the Browns fell behind.

The Ravens held the Denver Broncos to 65 rushing yards during a 49-27 loss last week to the Denver Broncos. They expect the Browns to try to establish Richardson, the third overall pick of the NFL draft last year.

"When you look at their offensive line and Trent Richardson, they want to beat you up, they want to run the football," defensive tackle Chris Canty said. "They want to play a physical, nasty, aggressive style of football. Our focus is stopping Trent Richardson, stopping their running game, neutralizing their offensive line.

"We want to try to give the running back nowhere to go. He's a load. He wasn't the third pick of the draft for no reason. He's a very talented football player."

In two games against the Ravens last season as a rookie, Richardson rushed for 152 yards and one touchdown. That included gaining 105 yards on 25 carries against them last November.

Richardson finished last season with 950 yards while dealing with broken ribs with the stocky 5 foot 9, 225-pounder making it clear that he's a hard-nosed AFC North style runner.

"Trent Richardson complicates that because he’s so hard to tackle," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "The fact that he can break tackles and make you miss at the same time is real challenging. He’s such a physical guy and an athletic guy.

"So, we’re just going to have to do a real good job of tackling him and not letting him get the extra yards after contact, which I think is what you’re saying. If we can limit the yards after contact, that would be very valuable for us.”